Thank God for Her
by Silent Talks
Summary: In life there were ups and downs, fights and laughs but with a girl like Emily it was all worth it. PAILY ONE SHOT


**So I know it's been a while and though I'm very sorry to my old readers it was brake much needed. I deleted my other stories because i felt there was nothing else i could do for them but i have every intention to post with more frequency... That's a promise. **

**Once again, I'm very sorry for any mistakes, english is not my first language. And invite everyone to post, review or contact me :) Im open to all criticism**

**This is a Paily one-shot. Hope everyone can enjoy it**

* * *

It's when you look at old photos that you realize just how lucky you are.

15-year-old Paige smiles back at you from the swimming team lockers. It's a ratty, dog-eared photograph that you didn't even know she saved. You remember that time of your life, the self-hate, the insecurity, and the lies… "Thank God for her" you think to yourself.

Of course it wasn't until you let yourself be loved that all changed. You started with your parents, if you were ready to accept yourself so could they. You hoped with all your heart that they would welcome this new you with open arms.

Turns out to be, it wasn't all that bad, of course there were pointing fingers and screaming truths but all of that was a forecast to this sunny HONEST lifestyle that Mr. And Mrs. McCullers were enjoying with you now. "Sometimes it takes a little bit of rain in order to see a wonderful sunrise" you remember.

The next step on your to do list was to be the best person you could ever be. How could you woo the love of your life if you didn't even share a bit of that love to your own self?

It was hard, exploring this new truth about you. You used to stand in front of a mirror and say the word out loud till it loosed somewhat the power it had over you. That was the first time you discovered "Gay" was just three letters.

It took some time but in a few months you were able to stand a whole date without doubting yourself. In all this time you took pleasure in observing her, not in the stalking kind of way, mind you, but just observing her. Her smile, laugh and happy disposition to all of people made you stronger in some ways. She was your first and only motivation.

Some days later you decided that enough was enough and it was time to get your girl back, unfortunately to you, she was with someone else at that time. You were not surprised; girls like Emily don't stand at shelves for long.

She, of course, knew of your feelings and intentions. You made sure of that, you thought that if anything came to happen between her and Maya then at least she could keep her options open. And suddenly, just as you imagined, something did happen and it was so horrifying and sad that you knew Emily needed space, after all there's no coming back to something like a girlfriend murdered. Your heart hurt not only for Emily but for Maya, she was so young and so in love, it was not fair.

It was several months later that finally you had your chance. You made sure that Emily was always the one setting the pace between your relationship. She was everything you ever wanted and hoped for, it she wanted to take things slow then so be it, she was well worth it.

Those days mark the happiest of your life. She taught you the meaning of love and patience, the importance to words like loyalty and compassion. She was your everything and you were her support. You complimented each other so well that people at school started to call you "paily" a ridiculous Hannah-imposed nickname for your relationship. You motivated one another; you pushed each other in the good way. Don't matter what you knew Emily would be there for you, and she knew the same about you.

Her friends were other story though, it was a slow road to friendship with you and them but you managed to survived it despite Hannah's obsession with buying her pink drinks and Spencer Hasting's need for competition at all times. Sooner rather tan later they loved you and were bugging you for discussions like "which one of us is your straight crush"

Your perfect slice of heaven ended abruptly though. Her name was Alison and truth be told she was a bitch. Only someone dark would come back from the dead like that, at least that was what you told yourself every time you saw her and Emily close or whispering to one another. It took some strength but you managed to stay FRIENDS with Emily considering you guys broke up by loosing the one thing you used to take pride in having: Emily's trust

You learned, you worked and decided to focus on yourself. If you were this broken after Emily then that meant that you needed to be strong by yourself. There were some girls but none got past the first date, and there were 30 min dates… so yeah… you were screwed.

But in the end you persevered, and when all was lost Emily managed to surprise you by choosing you over her first love. It was a slow road to recovery for both of you. There were issues with trust and honesty but you managed to stay together in spite of everything.

And now, 60 years later you couldn't be more grateful for all the emotions that she brought to your life. The old pictures were testimony of your happy life including the ups and downs. You and Emily had a beautiful life, you managed to raise tree independent, loyal and full of heart kids, children that eventually had their own children till you were considering a "Grandma". Your family is large, loud, messy and strong headed but you wouldn`t have it other way. You are so lucky, lucky to have met her, lucky to lose and get her back again, lucky for all the fights and especially lucky for all the love. A feeling you are sure to take for granted of Emily weren't part of the picture. So you take a breath and say to yourself "Thank God for her"


End file.
